Table of Contents

• What Is Children’s ADHD?
• Symptoms of ADHD in Children
• Childhood ADHD Types
• Causes of ADHD in Children
• ADHD in Children: Risk Factors
• How often ADHD shows up in children
• ADHD in Children: Diagnosis
• Childhood ADHD Treatment

What Is Children’s ADHD?

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have difficulties focusing and maintaining self-control due to differences in brain development.

It affects around 10% of children in the United States and is one of the most prevalent brain illnesses in children. Despite being diagnosed in youngsters the most, ADHD can persist into adults.

Symptoms of ADHD in Children

ADHD symptoms differ from child to child. However, most children exhibit a mix of these crucial indicators:

neglect. It’s possible that your child struggles with focus or becomes quickly distracted.

impatience. Your youngster engages in thoughtless behavior, such interrupting other people.

excessive vigilance. Your youngster talks excessively, is hyperactive, or is always on the go.

Among the symptoms of impulsivity and hyperactivity are:

• twitching
• wriggling
• Having trouble staying motionless when doing quiet work
• Running or climbing while not supposed to
• Overtalking or interjecting
• Having trouble waiting for their turn

Inattentional cues include:

• Having difficulty completing things
• Frequently losing items
• Ignorance
• Incoherence
• having a short attention span
• committing thoughtless errors
• appearing uninterested in listening
  

Before you discover symptoms of impulsivity or inattention, you might see signs of hyperactivity.

toddlers with indications of ADHD

While the majority of doctors won’t identify ADHD in children until they are at least 4 years old, certain children may exhibit symptoms earlier. The majority of signs of ADHD resemble ordinary toddler behavior. However, there are a few indicators that your young child may have ADHD:

They frequently run into problems at daycare or preschool.

They behave differently from the majority of children their age.

Childhood ADHD Types

The diagnosis of one of the three primary forms of ADHD in your child is primarily based on their symptoms:

mostly impulsive and hyperactive in nature. Youngsters exhibit impulsive and energetic conduct.

mostly unfocused kind. Prior to now, this was known as attention deficit disorder (ADD). Children that exhibit these signs find it difficult to focus. Their symptoms might not be apparent to you as quickly as those of the first type.

combined type—impulsive, hyperactive, and inattentive. Many symptoms from the first two forms of ADHD are present in children with this type of disorder. The most prevalent type of ADHD is this one.

Causes of ADHD in Children

Physicians are unsure about the precise cause of ADHD. However, it is recognized to run in families. Four out of five children with ADHD also have an ADHD parent.

Studies have indicated that children diagnosed with ADHD may exhibit variations in:

brain regions in charge of movement, attention, and social abilities

substances that regulate brain communication

Additionally, experts think that children with ADHD typically experience delayed brain development compared to children without the disorder.

Studies have not discovered any proof that the following could cause ADHD:

• Sweetener
• Immunizations
• Ineffective parenting
• Video games or TV

ADHD in Children: Risk Factors

Researchers are also looking into whether the following factors increase a child’s risk of developing ADHD:

• Use of tobacco products or alcohol when pregnant
• early birth
• brain damage
• exposure to specific environmental dangers (such as lead) during pregnancy
• low birth weight

How often ADHD shows up in children

In the United States, almost one in ten youngsters has been diagnosed with ADHD.
Males are diagnosed with illnesses more than twice as frequently as girls. Because girls are more likely to suffer the inattentive form of ADHD than the more obvious hyperactive or impulsive kind, some experts believe that girls may be underdiagnosed.
In addition to ADHD, six out of ten youngsters also suffer from another mental, emotional, or behavioral issue.

ADHD in Children: Diagnosis

ADHD cannot be diagnosed with a quick test. Based on your child’s symptoms, medical history, and physical examination, your doctor or a specialist will diagnose them.

• If your child satisfies all of these requirements, they might be diagnosed with ADHD:
• They exhibit at least six symptoms of ADHD, including excessive fidgeting and disruption readily.
• The symptoms persist for at least six months.
• Your child experiences problems as a result of these symptoms at home, at school, and in their social life.
• Before turning twelve, they began experiencing symptoms.

Childhood ADHD Treatment

Research indicates that pharmacological treatment alone is not as effective as long-term behavioral therapy combined with medicine.

Behavioral therapy is advised for children under the age of six. As they get older, their physician can also recommend drugs.

Behavioral treatments for children with ADHD-end